Chattanooga police are still searching for a robbery suspect who eluded officers Wednesday night after a pursuit through areas including Highway 27, Mountain Creek Road, Suck Creek Road and Signal Mountain Road .
The suspect is described as a man in his 20s with an unshaven face, wearing a dirty white T-shirt and driving a tan or gold sport utility vehicle, possibly a GMC Jimmy, according to a released statement.
At one point, the suspect struck the car of a Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office deputy on Frazier Avenue and police then called the pursuit off due to concerns of public safety.
The pursuit began after the robber approached a woman at the Walmart parking lot on Highway 153, pulling up beside her in the SUV and bumping her shopping cart, said police spokeswoman Sgt. Jerri Weary.
He asked if he hit her before reportedly snatching her purse as she was loading her car with items, Weary said. The woman was dragged a short distance before letting go.
A witness followed the man and authorities were contacted, allowing officers to catch up with the suspect, Weary said.
Investigators are currently reviewing surveillance footage from Walmart and a dash camera from a police patrol car, she said.
Anyone with any information about the suspect can contact police at 423-698-2525.
Since at least eleven cops couldn't stop him, what's next-Call in a Predator drone air-strike? Have Littlefield post signs? Have Missy Crutchfield talk him to death? Have the City Council increase taxes?
And away we go!
This is ridiculous! They have 11 cops on Cherokee Blvd and then called it off because he bumped a cop car bumper!! They HAD him and had him well outnumbered!! I hate to judge those that protect us, but this sounds pretty weak to me! And to top it off, they aren't positive on the type of car he was driving after they had followed him down 27, Mtn Creek Rd, Signal Mtn Blvd, Suck Creek Rd, back to 27, and down Cherokee Blvd??? No one was able to clearly see the make and model of the vehicle??
Chattavol, That is exactly what I was thinking... I can't believe the guy actually hit the cruiser and the officer still couldn't tell what kind of vehicle it was.
Note to all criminals in Chattanooga. Just scratch the paint on a police car and they will let you get away. What kind of message does that send?
I think it sends a pretty clear message. It's just a simple crime of stealing a purse from a every day citizen. Not worth their time or effort.
^sarcasm
Should it have been stopped in the parking lot at WalMart by the dragging victim using a handgun, the DA, SWAT, three-fourths of the police department, and Sgt. Dreary-Weary herself would have been there to arrest the victim for a noise violation and murder.
Of course it would be necessary to wait for the TV stations to arrive so that the news outlets could proclaim "the streets of Chattanooga are safe again."
Doesn't sound like the police could have caught the driver if he'd signed autographs on the Walnut Street Bridge while posing for photographs with pedestrians. Where was the popo on the three-wheelers? Krispy-Kreme doesn't have a store on the Northshore, do they?
Some of my friends and I were downtown last night and we saw this as it came onto Market St. We also saw him drive over a curb, hitting a sign, and then blow through 4th St without slowing. He almost hit two cars while going thru there. I can only imagine the naysayers comments if he or the police would have hit a pedestrian downtown. Lawsuits galore. I for one am glad they stopped it before someone got hurt. They'll get their man.
I agree with bluedagger. The police did the right thing. Serious and deadly tragedies have taken place in police pursuits. Like you say blue, they'll get their man.
If only the suspect had a flashing "Hot Now" dough-nut sign on the back of his vehicle the chase would still be going on.
If one of those cops had killed a kid in a stroller in a vehicular accident while trying to stop this purse-snatcher, more than half of y'all would be calling for his lynching.
From my executive seat on this end of the Internet, I have no idea what the tactical situation looked like from the patrolman's perspective. If they chose to break it off, that's their call to make.
Oh.. so it was a gmc... JIMMAY!!!
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